Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth – Analysis

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the ninth game in the series Yakuza from the SEGA It’s from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio which has been growing since the times of PS2 as a kind of spiritual sequel/spin off in Shenmueand recently took the name “Like a Dragon” as a direct translation of his Japanese name “Ryu ga Gotoku”. Infinite Wealth is a direct sequel to the story of our new protagonist, Ichiban Kasugaintroduced in the previous game, Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Resuming his adventures two years later, with Kasuga being falsely accused of criminal intentions and fired from his current job due to his former connections with the yakuza, some of his contacts end up leading him to leave the streets of Isezaki Ijincho in Yokohama and its partners to visit the hawaii and the city of Honolulu in search of the mother he never knew.

It is in Honolulu that we end up crossing paths with “Dragon of Dojima”, Kazuma Kiryuwhose most recent chapter in its history we were able to experience just a little while ago spin off Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, who this time takes a completely secondary place in relation to Kasuga, just as part of his group of friends who will help him in the search for his mother. Unfortunately, we ended up discovering (something that had already been mentioned in the trailers of the game) that Kiryu suffers from cancer, and this could actually be his definitive adventure.

Infinite Wealth resume the gameplay in Yakuza: Like a Dragonwith classic RPG-style turn-based combat instead of the typical gameplay in brawler associated with Yakuza from Kiryu. With each character having a job associate that changes your skills and available equipment to the style Final Fantasymaking it possible to unlock new jobs with new skills later. In this sense, Kiryu presents a new job completely unique called “Dragon of Dojima” named after his title which allows him to use several of his classic fighting styles.

As always, there are several minigames available to burn time (and earn rewards) like the already classic Karaoke, Mahjong, Shogi It is arrowsbut also new features such as Crazy Deliverya bicycle delivery game through the streets of Honolulu inspired by Crazy Taxi; Sujimon Battlea parody of Pokemon using some of the strangest enemies that Kasuga encounters on his adventures; MissMatchwhere Kasuga uses a dating app to meet potential girlfriends; one management minigame called Happy Resort Dondoko Islandwhere we can create and manage an island with a resort paradisiacal; and of course, the return of arcade games, with some more classic SEGA titles being entitled to new ones ports helping to preserve it, this time with Virtua Fighter 3tb, Sega Bass Fishing It is SpikeOut (a game of Toshiro Nagoshi that had never left the arcades).

In true series fashion, there are also loads of sidequests It is substories to solve, including some related to our new adventure partners and which help to develop our bonds with them (unlocking new attacks), with Kiryu being entitled to his own set of activities called Bucket Listwhich reunites him with old friends and allies from throughout the series.

A streamer/VTuber KSon appears in the game as a secondary character Kei after the competition Cabaret Club Grand Prixwhere five finalist models won the opportunity to appear as hostesses in Like a Dragon Gaidenwhich KSon ended up winning and is now the image and voice (English and Japanese) of his own character who, like the streamer, is a fangirl complete series of Kazuma Kiryu, his self-proclaimed husbando.

There are also a few cameos by some Japanese celebrities such as the MMA fighter Mikuru Asakuranews presenters Saya Hiyama, Yui Komaki It is Risa Unai, Utamaru of the group of hip hop Rhymestermodel and cosplayer Sophiealso known as PeachMilky and even TV mascots Gachapin It is Mukku. One of the game’s villains, Dwight Mendez owes his voice and much of the inspiration of his design to the veteran actor Danny Trejoand the English dub of the game also features appearances by the actors Johnny Yong Bosch It is Daniel Dae Kimlike this David Hayter, the voice of Solid Snake. In a more criticized way on the internet, Kiryu’s new English voice is given by the YouTuber Yong Yeawho will not have liked the somewhat cold reception that some of the fans received.

Infinite Wealth This is yet another chapter in an already long series that has become increasingly impactful, with an interesting story full of twists, characters that captivate us and many, many hours of activities to occupy us. While Ijincho is clearly recycled from previous games, Honolulu is a huge area, full of new corners to explore, and with an environment completely new to the series. RGG Studio’s intention to move forward with Ichiban Kasuga as the new protagonist of the series, the man who lives for the future, is clear, but Infinite Wealth is an excellent final point in the adventures of Kazuma Kiryu (despite his fate being left open). , the man who lives for the past, with a lot of nostalgia in all his interactions with other important characters over time helping in this culmination of his career as a former protagonist that is his Bucket List.

Definitely an excellent gaming experience that continues to raise the bar for the series and leaves us curious about what will come next. Absolutely recommended!

Review by Tiago Vasconcelos.